Comparison of the QuadFERM+ 2-hr identification system with conventional carbohydrate degradation tests for confirmatory identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

The QuadFERM+ (Analytab Products, Plainview, NY) rapid identification system was evaluated for its ability to identify correctly Neisseria gonorhoeae isolates from specimens obtained at a sexually transmitted disease clinic. One hundred eighty-five isolates (115 N. gonorrhoeae, 45 Neisseria meningitidis, 16 Neisseria species, and nine Branhamella catarrhalis; fresh isolates, frozen stock cultures, and cultures referred from local health agencies) were tested with the QuadFERM+ system and conventional biochemical tests. The two discrepant results were obtained with QuadFERM+, for a lactose-positive isolate of Neisseria sicca and a maltose-positive N. meningitidis. Both were negative by conventional sugar degradation tests. The N. sicca was negative when repeated in the QuadFERM+, and the N. meningitidis reverted from maltose-positive to maltose-negative after 3 hr. Twelve beta-lactamase positive organisms (six N. gonorrhoeae plus six B. catarrhalis) and 173 beta-lactamase-negative organisms showed 100% agreement between the acidometric QuadFERM+ beta-lactamase test and the conventional starch-iodine method. Thus the QuadFERM+ is a rapid and acceptable alternative for the identification of N. gonorrhoeae in a sexually transmitted disease clinic.

Gingival response to nicotine polacrilex.

Nicotine polacrilex (Nicorette) is the only medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration for tobacco dependency treatment. It is available only by prescription. This study sought to determine whether this medication produced any adverse gingival effects. Thirty-one patients (91%) used the nicotine polacrilex for at least 1 month and 20 (59%) for 3 months or more. Five (15%) developed small (less than 2 mm), painless, clear, nonhemorrhagic vesicles which resolved immediately when patients were reinstructed to position the medication in different sites in the mouth. There were no changes in gingival color, contour, consistency and texture, tooth mobility, or periodontal pocket depth. Nicotine polacrilex does not appear to have any significant adverse effects on the gingiva even with up to 6 months of daily use.

Salmonella in Commercially Produced Dried Dog Food: Possible Relationship to a Human Infection Caused by Salmonella enteritidis Serotype Havana.

Identification of Salmonella enteritidis serotype Havana, isolated from a 2½-month old female, engendered efforts to trace the source of infection. The inquiry led to examination of commercially prepared dehydrated dog foods. Twenty-five samples, representing four different manufacturers plus two retail store brands, were examined. Each of 11 samples, produced by one manufacturer, contained one or more Salmonella serotypes. Eight of them contained S. enteritidis serotype Havana. Isolates of serotype Havana from the index case and her mother had antibiotic susceptibility patterns essentially identical to those of nine of 10 serotype Havana isolates recovered from one sample of dog food. The possibility that the human isolates were related to the dog food isolates could not be eliminated.